How to Build a Clean Bento Box Layout in Wix Studio Without Code

Build bento boxes using section grids | Wix Studio.

If you’ve ever scrolled through a site and admired those neat “bento box” layouts — tidy grids of rounded cards — you might have thought they required heavy coding. This tutorial shows you they don’t. With Wix Studio’s Section Grid, you can build a bento-style layout in minutes, all by dragging, splitting, and styling cells. Here’s how it works, step by step.

Start With a Section Grid

You begin with a blank section. Instead of dragging in text or images right away, you add a Section Grid. This grid is like an invisible skeleton that holds everything together. It splits your section into containers, called “cells” that you can shape and resize. Think of it as Lego blocks for your webpage.

Splitting Cells for a Custom Layout

Each cell can be divided again and again. Split one horizontally, another vertically, until you’ve got the pattern you want. If you’re aiming for that signature bento look, you’ll probably create a mix of big and small tiles. For example, one wide cell for a hero image, and a few smaller ones for text or buttons.

Keep Things Balanced With Equalize

A grid can get messy fast if the rows and columns aren’t aligned. Wix Studio gives you an Equalize option that makes rows or columns the same size in a click. From there, you can fine-tune the exact heights and widths. This ensures your layout doesn’t just “feel” right but is mathematically balanced.

Style the Cells: The Bento Box Magic

Here’s where the magic happens. Each cell can have its own background color, corner radius, and spacing. Rounded corners transform plain rectangles into soft, modern cards. Adding gaps between cells creates breathing room. Increasing section padding lets the background peek through, giving your layout a light, airy feel. Suddenly, your page looks polished without any custom code.

Adding Content That Fits

Once the structure is ready, you drop in your content. Headlines, paragraphs, images, even buttons. Each goes neatly into its own cell. The tutorial recommends using Stacks or alignment tools so items stay ordered and don’t overlap. This way, your layout stays responsive, adjusting smoothly when the screen size changes.

Rearranging on the Fly

Not happy with the order of your tiles? No problem. Wix Studio lets you swap cells or drag them around without breaking the grid. This is a lifesaver when you’re experimenting with different hierarchies. Maybe your call-to-action looks better on top. Or your image makes more sense on the left. You can test these variations quickly.

Breakpoint Tweaks: Tablet and Mobile

What looks great on desktop doesn’t always translate to smaller screens. The tutorial shows how, on tablet, most of the design carries over with just minor font adjustments. On mobile, though, it’s best to switch the grid to rows. Each card stacks vertically, like a neat feed. You can also resize the row heights so no cell feels squashed. These edits don’t affect the desktop version.

Focus on Spacing and Hierarchy

Small details make a big difference. Adjusting the gap size, padding, and corner radius can completely change the feel of your design. The tutorial emphasizes hierarchy too: make your most important card larger or place it in the top-left. This guides the visitor’s eyes naturally, without shouting.

Why Use This Approach?

Building with Section Grid isn’t just about looks. It makes your design flexible, so it adapts at every breakpoint. It keeps your content structured, which helps with accessibility and SEO. And it saves time, because you can reorder and resize without rebuilding from scratch.

How You Can Apply It

This layout style is perfect for showcasing categories, features, or highlights. Imagine an online store using a bento grid for “New Arrivals,” “Best Sellers,” and “On Sale.” Or a portfolio site using it to show projects of different sizes. Each cell becomes a self-contained spotlight that still feels part of the whole.

Closing

You don’t need to write a single line of CSS to create a professional, bento-inspired design. With Section Grid, you get the control of a designer and the flexibility of a developer — but with drag-and-drop ease. Whether you’re building a store, a portfolio, or a blog, this method gives you a layout that’s clean, modern, and made to scale.